YOU ARE UNIQUE

Transcript of a clip from the talk WHY ARE WE HERE ON THIS EARTH?

by Rev. Ernest O’Neill

There’ll never be anybody like you in the whole world. There won’t. You actually know that in your heart, don’t you? Even if you are an identical twin, you know you’re not an identical twin. You know there’s a difference in your personalities between you and your brother or you and your sister. There’s nobody like you in the whole world. There has never been anybody like you in the whole world and there will never be anybody like you in the whole world.

You are unique and actually you know that in your heart of hearts. You know the business of fingerprints and how important that is. There are no two fingerprints alike. But beyond that, there are all kinds of differences that make you absolutely unique. Jesus is saying to us, “You’re unique and you have been put here by My Father, who is the Creator of the world, to do something and be something that nobody else can ever be or will ever be. My Father has made you so that you can show some of His nature that nobody else can show.” That’s the first reason you’re here.

You are unique. There’s nobody like you in the whole universe. Do you realize there is nothing you do, there is nothing you think, there is nothing you say that God does not see, every second of your life? He knows what you do and say and think, every second of your life. He is watching you like a dear gentle father every moment of your existence. And He is working constantly to bring you into His own character and nature and to bring you close to Himself because He wants to explain to you what He put you here to do and to be. That’s it.

You’re not just a number. You’re not just somebody who has mechanical ability. You’re not just somebody who has artistic ability. Your Creator has put you here to do and be something that nobody else can do or be. And the only way you’ll ever find that out, Jesus says, is to get to know His Father. In fact, He said that’s eternal life. Eternal life is not trying to produce the attributes or qualities that you think eternity has. Eternal life is actually knowing the person who made you. It’s getting to know Him personally and getting from Him an explanation of why He put you here, what He wants to do with your life and most of all, what He wants you to be.

Some of us say, “Well, I see that. At times I’ve glimpsed it or thought I have. But I’ve been dissatisfied with the things I’ve been trying to do to make eternity real to myself. I’ve seen what an egotistical monster I’ve become as I’ve tried to draw people’s attention to me so I could get a sense of self-worth. I’ve seen how I’ve used other people to try to get all the money that I need or all the clothing that I need. I’ve seen that and have tried to change but I find that there’s something in me that keeps on doing that. I keep on being covetous and I keep on being greedy. I see what you’re saying that I’ve to get to know the Creator and he will explain to me why I am here, but I find that even when I’ve glimpsed that, I can’t be what I believe He wants me to be.”

We’re alive to get to know our dear God that put us here. You have to get to know Him personally. You have to be changed by Him otherwise you won’t be able to be what He wants you to be. That you can do. “How?” Well you start off by believing these things that I’ve shared with you. They’re not things that I made up. They’re the things that Jesus told us in this book. He’s the only one that has ever been off the bus and he explained this to us. You have to start by believing it. You start by believing on the basis of the historical evidence and by believing on the basis of the words that He speaks here. This is no ordinary man. This is the Son of the Maker of the world and what He’s

telling us about life is true. You’ve got to believe that.

Secondly, you’ve got to turn away from your own attempts to reproduce eternity. That’s what repentance is. You’ve got to turn away from all the attempts you make to reproduce the stability of eternity. Does that mean no possessions, no jobs, and no bank account? No, that’s foolishness. It doesn’t mean that. But it does mean that you stop looking to those things for your security. It means you stop looking to the money that you’ve built up for security. The money is going to go with the rest. It’s going to burn up with everything else.

You turn away from trying to establish the security and stability of eternity from this temporal life. Instead you look to God, your Father and you start talking to Him and asking Him, “Lord God, why did you put me here? What do you want me to do? What do you want me to be? What of yourself do you want to show to this world through me?” You start saying that.

First you believe that these things are true. Then you repent by stopping doing that. If you say to me, “Does it mean everything?” Yes, it does. It means those moments when you throw in a little boast to get respect from your peers — that has to stop. You have to stop being envious of the other person because they’ve got all the attention this past week. You just stop doing it. You stop looking to the praise of men to try to get a sense of self-worth. You start looking to your Creator, your God and you start asking Him to give you a sense of His love and a sense of His appreciation and His knowledge of you. As soon as you do that, your Creator will start coming through to you, that’s it.

First you believe, and then you start actually living like that. That’s why it says, ‘you believe and repent’, and that’s what enables you to be born again or to start all over again. If you are in the situation where this has come home to you for the first time today, then I would encourage you to act on it. I wouldn’t bother about anything else. I would act on it. If you don’t act on it and make a commitment today, the week will drag on through and you’ll find yourself back in your own old kind of frustrating life. You do need to make a definite break.

Then the next step is to commit to turning from all the manipulations and methods you’ve used to try to reproduce eternity. God’s Spirit will bring those things to you. You just have to repent of them and stop them. And you have to ask God to give you the Spirit, the life of His own Son.

If you do that in honesty, God will come through. That’s His whole purpose in putting us here. The whole thing is meaningless if He doesn’t come through. He will come through to you and He will give you strength to begin to live a life with Him during this coming week and during the rest of the weeks in your life.

Then you’ll be able to give those dear dads and moms of yours some answer if they ever ask that question. Why are we here? Why are we alive?

Full sermon: WHY ARE WE HERE ON THIS EARTH?